Type 56 LMG
China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) · Machine Gun · Limited Production · 1956
Also known as: Type 56 squad machine gun, Chinese RPD, RPD Type 56
Overview
The Type 56 LMG is the Chinese license-produced copy of the Soviet RPD (Ruchnoy Pulemyot Degtyaryova) light machine gun, adopted by the People's Liberation Army as a squad automatic weapon in 1956. Chambered in the intermediate 7.62x39mm cartridge, it is a gas-operated, long-stroke piston design that fires fully automatic from an open bolt and is fed by a non-disintegrating 100-round segmented belt carried in a drum-shaped container clipped beneath the receiver. With its integral folding bipod, adjustable gas regulator and relatively light weight, the Type 56 provided rifle squads with sustained suppressive fire at ranges out to roughly 800 metres. It was manufactured at various Chinese state arsenals and widely exported to Soviet- and Chinese-aligned nations.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 7400 g (261.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1037 mm (40.83") |
| Barrel Length | 520 mm (20.47") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Full Auto Only |
| Magazine Capacity | 100 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Belt |
| Muzzle Velocity | 735 m/s (2411 fps) |
| Effective Range | 800 m (875 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 650 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 240 mm (9.45") |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.62x39mm · primary — also known as 7.62x39, 7.62mm M43, .30 Russian Short
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Non Disintegrating Belt, Drum Belt Container
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Integral Folding Bipod, Drum Belt Container, Adjustable Gas Regulator, Non Reciprocating Folding Charging Handle, Feed Mechanism Dust Cover, Non Quick Change Barrel
Variants
- Type 56-1 LMG — Improved
Service history
Operators
- People's Liberation Army · adopted 1956 · as Type 56
- People's Army of Vietnam
- Cambodian Armed Forces
Conflicts
- Vietnam War (1955-1975)
- Cambodian Civil War (1967-1975)
- Sino-Vietnamese War (1979)
Production
Production years: 1956-1970s
Produced under license at multiple Chinese state arsenals; exact production totals are not publicly documented. Eventually supplanted in PLA service by the Type 81 LMG and later squad weapons.
Origin
Country of origin: China
Designer: Vasily Degtyaryov
Notes
Should not be confused with the Type 56 assault rifle, which is the Chinese license copy of the AK-47/AKM. The Type 56 LMG corresponds to the third-pattern RPD, with dust covers over the feed mechanism and a folding, non-reciprocating charging handle. A modified Type 56-1 was produced based on the later RPDM.
Background
The original RPD was designed by Vasily Degtyaryov around 1944 as the first Soviet automatic weapon built around the new 7.62x39mm M43 intermediate cartridge. China adopted it as the Type 56 in 1956, the same year it standardized a whole family of Soviet-pattern small arms (the Type 56 rifle, carbine and LMG), and the weapon saw extensive use across Southeast Asia, frequently appearing in the hands of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War.